Cubesat-based demonstrator for optical earth observation

This paper introduces UPCSat-1, the first project of the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya to build and launch a pico-satellite. Its main scope is to develop, construct, assembly, test and launch into a Low Earth Orbit a CubeSat that will carry a simple optical payload and some technological demonstrators. On one hand, this is mainly an educational project in which the development of some of the subsystems is carried out by Master Thesis students. On the other hand, the satellite becomes an optimum platform to perform small scientific experiments, and to demonstrate some of the new technologies that it incorporates.